I can tell there are times when my body's getting tired and I just need to take a day here or there and make sure I'm healthy.
— Ben Zobrist
When I left Tampa Bay, I felt like if my career ended at that point, I'd be okay.
Occasionally, you have to make adjustments and try different things.
I want to try and get better in every facet of the game.
I'm consistently making adjustments. You're going to have to do that in the postseason, too.
You're not going to hit a bunch of three-run homers every game.
I can't take 200 hacks in the cage before the game. Not because I'll get tired, but because I'll hurt myself! I can't do that. I might get injured.
My favorite day is relaxing at home with family and friends.
I'm a manager's player, in a way, because he can use me in a lot of different ways, and I'm willing to do that.
I just try to focus on one step at a time, what I have to do or what the team has to do to get here.
We've got to win a championship and bring a World Series trophy back to Chicago.
I've been back to the Kansas City area a lot in the past. My sisters went to college in the area. My brother went to college in the area. I've got friends there, so there's some ties to the area.
I have family and friends who are strong Cardinal fans, and they are having a tough time since I signed. They want to root for me, but rooting for the Cubs is next to a sin.
I did the utility thing at first out of necessity to find a place on the team.
What I need as a player is just to get at-bats, I think.
There were always kids better than me. Because of that, I had to learn to be a role player and do my part.
I'm not the most powerful. I'm not the fastest. I don't have the best arm. I don't have any of that, but put it all together and do the little details well, and you're going to be a very productive player.
You just keep working and try to have quality at-bats.
We don't even think about it out there. We just focus on doing our job. The ball is the same baseball, the game is the same game. We're going to just keep trying to do our jobs.
It's important to set a tone and get some momentum.
I am a student of the game.
Sometimes, you just feel like you're just surviving for parts of the season.
You just have to keep grinding.
If you're free of mechanical thoughts and free of knowing that your body and bat are going to be in the right position at the right time, you can freely focus on the ball. It's a great feeling.
Each new day has a different shape to it. You just roll with it.
You don't get a chance to go to the playoffs and World Series very often, but to be able to experience it with the people you love most in the world is really fun.
As I get older, I just need to continue to make sure I'm staying in peak shape and taking care of my body the best I can.
For me, it's not so much about picking the right position; it's about the team.
Anytime you put your mind on the results, you lose something in the moment.
I was kind of a slap hitter, trying to get base hits, hit line drives, stay below a certain trajectory with my ball.
I might have a great game hitting, but if I'm not having a great game fielding, if I feel like I let a guy get an extra base that I could have stopped, that's something I've got to do better, got to get better at.
I've always loved the infield, because I came up as an infielder.
I was never the star of my team, not even in my small town.
My dad used to do it when we were little, and I tried it when we played around in the back yard. Eventually, I got a bat and a real ball and played around to see if I could hit left-handed.
I love baseball history, and Wrigley Field is as good as it gets when it comes to that.
At the end of the day, you can't control the results; you can only control your effort level and your focus.
The more I spend at one position, the more I can dive into those details.
The one thing is the more I play second base, the more I can work on the intricate movements of that position.
I'm not a cleanup hitter. I'm just batting fourth.
I felt like in Tampa Bay a lot of people thought we were overachieving.
When I'm at the plate, I'm not thinking about what I'm trying to do with the bat - I'm thinking about what the pitcher is trying to do with the ball.
I spent so many years shuffled around. I'm used to it and can deal with it.
I just try to be the player I am.
I know what I need to do to prepare myself, and I try to do the best I can to take care of my body and prolong my peak years as a baseball player.
I played a lot of right field with Tampa.
One of my best friends, James Miller, managed to find the only Cubs hat that is all red.
In the minor leagues, previous to 2008, I took a lot of pitches. I prided myself on on-base percentage. I made sure that I made the pitcher work.
Out in the field, I feel like I'm flexible enough to where I'm comfortable at different positions, wherever they want to put me.
I love second base.
I'm not the best athlete.
